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The Great Chicken Breast Challenge
The boneless skinless chicken breast is the meat we grill fanatics love to hate. And hate to love. We love it because it’s cheap to buy, quick to grill, and healthy to eat (consisting of almost pure protein with virtually no fat). We hate it because of all the parts of a chicken (and for that matter, of all the animal proteins), it’s the blandest, lacking the richness of a dark meat chicken thigh, the meatiness of a pork chop, and the rich sanguine flavor of a steak.
Despite its shortcomings, it’s far and away the most popular poultry cut in the U.S. I venture to say you might have some in your refrigerator or freezer right now.
But what if there were a way to make this lean, affordable poultry cut not only palatable, but interesting. Well, there is.
Recipes for Chicken Breast
I like to think of a chicken breast as a magic carpet–ready to fly around the world, ready to absorb the bold flavors of the world’s top grill cultures.
- Add a soy sauce, sesame oil, and mirin (plus ginger, scallion, and garlic) marinade, and you get a Japanese chicken breast yakitori.
- Marinate it in yogurt with onion, cumin, and saffron and you get Persian Saffron Lemon Chicken. (Substitute wings w/ breasts)
- Grill it over wood and serve it with chimichurri and you get the poultry version of Argentinean asado.
- Grab some of my Greek Island Herb Rub and you have Chicken Souvlaki.
- Italians keep chicken breasts moist by grilling them under bricks. Here’s a Tuscan version (Pollo al mattone), redolent with rosemary, garlic, and lemon.
- You can make a grilled chicken sandwich that we think is way better than Popeyes!
- Finally, brine it with bourbon to add a smoky sweetness that’s perfect for grilled chicken breast.
I did a quick survey of my books (more than 30) and I found more than 200 recipes for chicken breasts! So, despite its mild taste and the scorn heaped on it by some serious grill masters, chicken breast definitely deserves a place in your barbecue repertory.
Check out our 1000+ Recipes section here on Barbecue Bible.Com
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